Our Guest:

Today on our little planet, we live in bewildering times. We’re essentially faced with this question: what should we be thinking, saying and doing about the challenges bearing down upon our lives? Answers can be hard to come by. Yet we, the community of Thoreau Farm, believe we have to search for them. So we wondered, if Henry David Thoreau were alive today, what would HE think, what HE say, what would HE do?

A Certified Management Consultant (CMC), Ken speaks frequently at national and local business events including annual appearances at Harvard and the Concord Festival of Authors. From 2000-2005, he served as chapter president of IMC New England, followed by a term on the national board of IMC USA. He is a member of the CEO Club of Boston and the Association of Management Consulting Firms, a graduate of Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting College and the pro bono President of the Thoreau Farm Trust.

A thoughtleader in his own right, Ken has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, Newsweek, Financial Times, Investors’ Business Daily, National Public Radio, CBS-TV, Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Boston Globe, to name just a few. He has published hundreds of articles including blogs and columns for the American Management Association and Boston Magazine. He’s a co-founder of the National Writers Union.

Guest:

Dan O’Halloran is President of The O’Halloran Group and has over 30 years of experience in the fields of Employee Benefits and Property and Casualty Insurance. The O’Halloran Group helps Maine businesses develop strategies to address the increasing cost of providing benefits to their employees, as well as navigate the post PPACA environment.

Prior to starting The O’Halloran Group, he owned and operated a multi-line independent agency that was purchased by an international bank. Dan’s career began as an account executive with a national carrier and responsibilities included design and management of health and welfare programs for medium and large accounts in the mid-Atlantic region.

Dan has served on numerous community and private boards of directors. Community involvement includes past President of the Independent Insurance Agents Association of Maine, former Trustee of North Yarmouth Academy, Colby College Alumni Council, Good Will-Hinckley Capital Committee, Chairman of the board for Casco Bay YMCA, Advisory Board of Ed Logics, and board member of the Maine Educational Loan Authority. Dan resides in Yarmouth with his wife and their children, Charlie and Olivia.

EDUCATION

Dan received his Bachelor of Art’s degree from Colby College and Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation from the American Institute. He is a member of the American Society of Property Casualty Underwriters and has multi-state licenses in life, health, accident and property and casualty.

Guest:

Katy is the bestselling author of practical guides to career transitions, and an internationally-recognized expert on how work is evolving.

Katy is an expert in how the employer/employee relationship is changing, and how individuals, businesses, and educational institutions need to adapt to the evolving landscape of work.

Throughout her 20+ year career in IT and operations consulting, Katy has advised hundreds of organizations on how to find innovative solutions leveraging technology and human capital for competitive advantage. Katy has been part of multiple successful startup exits including Winphoria Networks (acquired by Motorola in 2003) and Thrive Networks (acquired by Staples in 2007).

Guest:

Debra Weiss Ford is Managing Partner and Litigation Manager of the Portsmouth, NH office. Ms. Ford has over 30 years of experience representing employers in litigation matters before the state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Ms. Ford also represents employers before the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the New Hampshire Department of Labor, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the Massachusetts Department of Employment Training.

Ms. Ford also lectures frequently at seminars in New Hampshire and Massachusetts on issues related to employment law, including discrimination, wrongful discharge, reductions in force, termination issues, personnel issues, and contractual issues. She regularly advises clients on employment-related matters.

Ms. Ford received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Drew University in 1979 and her J.D. from Temple University of School of Law in 1982. She is an approved federal and state mediator. She is a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section, Massachusetts Bar Association, Maine Bar Association, American Bar Association, New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association, American Arbitration Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

She is admitted to practice in the State of New Hampshire, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State of Maine, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, United States District Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States Claims Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Ms. Ford was a member of the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners from 1993 to 2005. She was appointed by the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to serve on the Merit Selection Panel to consider the reappointment of the incumbent magistrate. In 2003, she was appointed to serve on the Federal Court Advisory Committee. Ms. Ford is listed by Chambers as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. She is the author of the New Hampshire chapter of Workplace Privacy, a legal reference book for managers and human resource professionals, published by the Thompson Publishing Group, a division of West Publications. Ms. Ford was elected as a Fellow to The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in June 2006.

She is named as New Hampshire’s Best Labor and Employment Lawyer by Business NH Magazine. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America by Woodward White, Inc., and has been recognized by New England Super Lawyers as one of the top 50 women lawyers in New England and one of the top 100 lawyers in New England. She is listed in Top NH Lawyers in Labor and Employment in New Hampshire Magazine and has consistently been named the Best Lawyers’ Manchester Employment Law – Management Lawyer of the Year. She is also rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell. Ms. Ford was named one of the “Leaders in their Field” in the 2012 Chambers USA Legal Guide. Ms. Ford serves as a board member for the Portsmouth Music Hall, Family Service, Inc., and Seacoast Human Resources Association, and she is an emeritus board member of the New Hampshire SPCA.

Ms. Ford was rated as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer” by Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell™ Honors, Awards and Pro Bono Activity

Named Best Labor and Employment attorney in New Hampshire, Business New Hampshire Magazine

Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Labor &; Employment Law)

Listed in Top New Hampshire Lawyers in Labor and Employment, New Hampshire Magazine

Elected as a Fellow to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers

Listed in New England Super Lawyers (Top 100 attorneys in New England)